Eternal Darkness
by VanillaWhisper
Summary: When tragedy occurs, Fuji becomes blind. Sorry, not good at summaries..Probably TezukaFuji
1. Shot

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except the characters I make up.

Some say that when it rains..the world..is crying. So perhaps..the world was crying..the day Fuji Syusuke became trapped forever in a world of darkness.

* * *

It had been a cold day, one of those rainy, stay-inside days. Hardly anyone was out, for no one wished to become sick after being in the rain. Fuji had been inside, trying his hardest to sleep, but no avail. Rain usually helped him sleep..but, even though he knew he _should_ be tired, he just..wasn't. He was alone in the house, everyone else having gone somewhere doing God-knows-what, so there wasn't many options on what to do. He couldn't play tennis..and finding someone to blackmail wasn't an option, since he didn't particulary want to go outside in the rain..

'Hmm..what to do..,' Fuji thought, boredly. Fuji was busy pondering about what he could do to pass the time, when he heard a loud BANG, that sounded like it was coming from next door..So, of course, Fuji went to see what it was. He grabbed the dark blue umbrella by the door, and stepped outside.

'What could that have been?..' The noise he heard did kind of concern him, considering it sounded just like a gunshot. He stepped timidly up to the door, and knocked very softly.

"Hello? Is anybody home?" No one answered. "Hello?" Syusuke shrugged, and had started to go back inside, when a thought struck him. What if it had been a gunshot? He froze, then turned back to face the door. Maybe he should check it out just in case..He swallowed hard, and turned the doorknob, surprised to find it was unlocked. He stepped inside, and panic struck his heart. The house had been demolished. Tables and chairs were turned over, glasses were broken, and it seemed as if total chaos had broke out.

"Is..anyone here?" He carefully stepped over the tables and chairs that were knocked over. "Helllllo?" Syusuke looked around slowly, then froze in pure horror when he saw a motionless body lying on the floor. He ran as fast as he could towards the body, nearly tripping over everything in his way. It was a male, who seemed to be in his late thirties.

"Sir! Sir! Oh kami, are you alright?"

'Well, that was a stupid question,' Syusuke mentally kicked himself. He examined the man painstakingly, which only added to his horror. He was covered in blood from head to toe. Syusuke began to panic more. What should he do? He turned the man's body over, only to gasp when he saw that a hole was visible in the man's head. Instantly, he began to feel uneasy. Not even Fuji Syusuke had seen a dead body before..and he was definently sure the man was dead. Fuji decided to check his vital signs just to make sure..

'No..he's..definently..dead..,' Fuji realized. 'He has no heartbeat..' Just when Fuji felt like he was about to throw up, he heard another noise, which sounded like something breaking. Fuji's eyes widened. Someone else was in the house...Swallowing hard, the tensai slowly rised from his position beside the man, and made his way towards the noise. He tried comforting himself.

'Maybe it was just an animal..or something..,' he told himself. 'Yes, just an animal...' But the prodigy was terrified to find he was wrong. It was not just an animal. It was a person. Fuji had made his way unsurely to the kitchen, where the noise sounded like it had came from. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a dark figure standing in the corner.

"W-who are you?" It frightened the boy more to hear how shaky his voice was. When no one answered him, the tensai stepped closer to the figure, and eyes widened more, if possible, when he saw the figure's face. Scars covered every inch of tan skin. Black eyes stared back at him from a sunken face. Fuji took a shaky step backwards, but it was too late. The last thing Fuji saw was the trigger of a revolver being pulled, before everything went black.

* * *

Eiji Kikumaru could barely believe his ears. Fuji..his best friend..had been..shot? Eiji took the phone away from his ear only to stare in shock at it. Yumiko, Syusuke's sister, was sobbing on the other line. Eiji had been the first one she called to break the bad news to, because she knew they were best friends.

"...found him lying on the floor of our neighbor's house, shot in the head..he was still alive.."

Eiji could barely understand her words through all of her crying. The pieces of Eiji's heart began breaking of slowly, piece by piece. No...his best friend...the always smiling tensai...shot..no..this just can't be true..

"N-no!" Eiji cried, shaking the phone. "N-no, I won't believe you, you're lying!" This only succeeded in making the girl sob harder. But deep inside Eiji knew what Yumiko said was the truth. Fuji..had been shot..and could die any second..

"P-please, Eiji..c-call all o-of his friends..t-tell them..the news..I..don't think..I-I can.." With that response, Yumiko hung up. Eiji fell to his knees, not even bothering to turn the phone off. He wept, trying to ease the horrible tightening in his chest. But the invisible hand just kept squeezing his heart harder. He moaned, putting his head in his hands, and cried on.

* * *

Eiji had cried himself to sleep. He wasn't sure for how long he had slept, only that when he woke up, it was morning. His red hair was still clinging to his face from all his tears. Eiji wasn't sure how it happened, but somehow, he had ended up in his bed. He figured his parents probably put him there, after he had fell asleep lying on the floor, clutching his head. He still hadn't told anyone else about Fuji, and so he dreaded the time when he must face his teammates and tell them what happened. Unfortunately, he knew that time must come soon. He couldn't let his friends not know..Kikumaru sighed, stepping out of bed. He decided to call his teammates instead of telling them face-to-face. He figured it'd be easier that way. He picked up the phone, and dialed Oishi's number.

"Moshi, moshi," Oishi's voice greeted him on the other line.

"O-Oishi..," Eiji said weakly. He could hear Oishi gasp with worry.

"Eiji! Are you alright! What's wrong?"

"It...it's Fuji...he's...he's...he's been..sh-shot.." It seemed like forever to Eiji before Oishi responded.

"...What?" Oishi's voice came out as a whisper.

"I said-"

"I heard what you said but...I..can't..believe it..I..."

"Oishi...can..you..do me..a favor?"

Oishi was quiet for a moment, before saying, "Yes."

"Can you please..tell the rest of the team?...I..just don't..want to.." Oishi felt so terribly sorry for his Eiji, and pain stabbed his heart.

"Yes...I will.."

"Arigatou..." That's all Eiji said before hanging up. Oishi sighed, and was surprised to find he was crying. Fuji..would he live?

* * *

Ok, so please, tell me how it is! Review, please! 


	2. Blind

All of Seigaku was gathered around the hospital bed that Fuji laid in. Eiji was leaning on Oishi, his face still wet from tears, as he looked down at the broken body of Fuji Syusuke.

'How could this have happened..especially to Fuji...,' Eiji thought painfully.

He looked around the room, scanning the faces of all the regulars. Ryoma was in the back with his cap pulled over his face, staring at the ground. Momo, who was right beside him, had his eyes shut tightly. On the right of Momo, was Kawamura, who like Ryoma, found something interesting about the floor. Inui stood in the corner alone, biting his lip. Kaidoh was sitting down beside the door, staring at his folded hands. Tezuka was the closest to Fuji, having sat in the chair beside his bed. Though his expression was unreadable, Eiji could tell from his empty eyes that he was in a lot of pain.

"Eiji?" Oishi whispered.

The young boy's head snapped up only to attach to the face of his Golden Pair partner.

"I was just making sure you were okay," Oishi said softly. "Are you?"

Eiji nodded slowly, and there was once more an awkward silence. For what seemed like hours, the regulars sat there in silence. Finally, a young, dark-haired female doctor opened the door. Her voice was friendly, but it didn't change the grim atmosphere in the room.

"Hello, you can just call me Dr. Oshuma." She smiled at everyone, then sighed when no one returned her smile.

"Will he live?" Tezuka asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Dr. Oshuma smiled sadly, then responded, "I believe he will."

Everyone in the room let out the breath they were holding. Eiji laughed happily, and the whole ice seemed to break. Oishi hugged Eiji tightly, while Momo also began to laugh. Everything would be okay! The room had just gotten noisy from all the chatter when Dr. Oshuma silenced them.

"I am afraid...I have some bads news." She swallowed hard, then glanced at the tense faces of the Seigaku regulars.

"If..he does live..which I'm sure he will," she said quickly, seeing Eiji open his mouth to protest, "he will..be permanently blind."

No one spoke after those words left her mouth. They all just stared at her, not clearly comprehending what she just said.

Taka was the first to speak. "W-what do you mean b-blind?" he stuttered.

Dr. Oshuma had opened her mouth to answer when the door slammed open, and Yuuta and Yumiko burst in. They both paused, stopping to stare at every human in the room.

"Who are you? Where is aniki?" Yuuta asked, his voice rising slightly.

Dr. Oshuma bowed, and introduced herself once more. "I'm Kodai Oshuma, Fuji Syusuke's doctor. He is right over there." She pointed to the bed where Fuji laid sleeping quietly. "I would assume you are his little brother?"

Yuuta nodded, making his way through the crowd of regulars to stop beside Fuji's bed.

"And I'm Yumiko, his older sister," Yumiko stated. "What is his..condition?"

"Well, he will live, but..the severe damage to his head caused him to lose all of his eyesight."

Yumiko's eyes widened, and Yuuta gasped. "You mean..he..is..blind?" Yuuta choked. Dr. Oshuma nodded solemnly.

"Oh no..no..NO!" Yuuta moaned, kicking the table beside Fuji's bed. Yumiko buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

* * *

Yumiko, Yuuta, Tezuka, Eiji and Oishi stayed in that hospital room all day and night. The other Seigaku regulars had left earlier, casting sympathetic glances at Yumiko and Yuuta. Yumiko's sobbing had since then ceased. She now laid on a blanket on the floor beside Syusuke's bed. Yuuta had dragged up another chair so he could sit close to Fuji. Eiji now laid in Oishi's arms, half asleep. Tezuka stood alone in the corner, staring out the window.

Oishi smiled softly at the redhead that was nearly asleep in his arms. How peaceful he looked..Oishi hoped that Eiji would fall asleep and have wonderful dreams, comforting dreams, for that's just what he needed. Dreams that would take him away from this place, from this moment, to a place where he could soar and be happy. It was so unlike Eiji to be sad like this.

"Sweet dreams, Eiji," Oishi whispered, stroking the boy's hair gently.

Tezuka watched Oishi continue to stroke Eiji's hair, and almost smiled. _Almost._ He felt some happiness for his best friend, but it wasn't enough to drown out the pain he was currently feeling. He didn't want to believe this was happening..he _couldn't_ believe this was happening..It just had to be a dream. Had to be. There was no way that the always smiling tensai was now laying in that hospital bed with no idea that he was blind. Blind... That word rang in Tezuka's head.

'No..I won't believe it..Fuji can't be blind..he just can't be..,' Tezuka thought. 'If he was blind, that would mean he'd never be able to play tennis again...' Tezuka froze with that thought as reality hit him like a brick. Fuji Syusuke, the tennis tensai, would never be able to play tennis..again? That just made Tezuka want to scream. Tennis was Syusuke's passion, Syusuke's obsession, the thing he loved the most... How would he ever be able to face the burden of knowing that he'd never be able to play tennis again?

"He won't..be able to play tennis again..," Tezuka whispered aloud.

Yuuta's eyes met Tezuka's when those words met his ears.

"I know..," Yuuta sighed. "Yumiko, what happened? ..I mean, when did he get shot? Where?"

Yumiko rolled over on the blanket and sat up. "I-I'm not sure exactly.. When I got home, I looked all through the house but I couldn't find Syusuke. At first I thought maybe he'd went out somewhere, but when he didn't come home after an hour...I began to worry. I searched all over for him, so when I didn't find him, I went over to the neighbors to ask if maybe they'd seen him... And..there he was..lying on the floor..blood everywhere..." Yumiko stopped when she began to weep again.

Yuuta swallowed hard and nodded. Then, a question struck him. "Wait a minute..why was he in our neighbor's house in the first place?"

Yumiko shook her head. "I don't know, but..when I called the police..they think maybe he may have heard or saw when our neighbor got shot, so he went to investigate. The murderer was still there..and so he shot Syusuke."

"Murderer?" Yuuta gasped when a sudden realization hit him. Someone had meant to kill his older brother..not just make him blind. This wasn't an accident.

'It's just so unbelievable..someone had meant to kill Syusuke..,' Yuuta thought, dumbstruck.

"Do they know who the murderer was?" Tezuka asked, interrupting Yuuta's thoughts. Once more, Yumiko shook her head.

"They will have to question him on what he knows when he wakes up..."

* * *

A/N: So, chapter 2 is done! I hoped everyone liked it. Please, please, review! I'm not sure if this chapter is that good...please tell me! 


	3. Awake

"When will he wake up?" Tezuka asked Dr. Oshuma.

It was early in the morning, and Yumiko, Yuuta, Eiji, and Oishi were all sleeping in Fuji's room. Tezuka had woken up very early, for some strange reason, and he couldn't seem to go back to sleep. The sleep he had gotten wasn't very good anyway.

Dr. Oshuma sighed and rubbed her temples. She hated giving bad news to people. Unfortunately, that was apart of her role as a doctor.

"Well, right now, he is in a coma. He could wake up at any time. He could wake up in a day, or a week. A month, or a year.."

"A year?" Tezuka frowned and sighed. He was frustrated. There was nothing he could do for Fuji..and he hated not being able to care for his teammates. Tezuka might be seemingly emotionless..but he truly was a caring person. He especially cared for his teammates. They were like his second family. Even though Tezuka knew Fuji would never be able to play tennis again, it still felt as if they were teammates. Nevertheless, they were still companions at the least.

"There is nothing you can do to help him wake up?" Tezuka asked emotionlessly.

"I'm afraid not, I'm sorry."

* * *

Life went on, despite the fact that Syusuke was in a coma. Inui had taken Fuji's place as a regular. Seigaku still played and won tennis matches, but it just wasn't the same.

Things were different outside of tennis, too. Eiji seemed less bouncy and happy, and that only caused Oishi to become more stressed from worrying about him. Everyone missed the tensai and his always smiling face.

Then, one day, 5 weeks after Fuji had been shot, his hand began to twitch. Yumiko had been beside him when it happened. At first, she didn't notice it, for she was busy talking to her brother, telling him everything she could think of. Then, when she looked down to brush Fuji's honey-colored hair out of his face, she saw his hand move slightly. Her eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. After she recovered from the shock of seeing him move, she began to shout with joy.

"My baby brother is finally going to wake up! Oh kami, finally he will be able to smile and laugh again! I'll be able to hear his voice!"

Every person in the hospital could hear her shouts, including Dr. Oshuma. So when she heard the young woman's yells of happiness, she came rushing in. At first, Dr. Oshuma was startled when Yumiko began shaking her violently, shouting all the while that Syusuke was going to awaken. But then she smiled brightly at the girl, and went over to examine Fuji.

Little by little, his whole body began to twitch until finally, his eyes fluttered open. Yumiko froze when she saw her brother blink a few times.

"Syusuke?" She whispered softly.

"Y-Yumiko?" Syusuke stuttered. He kept blinking his eyes, like a person would do when they're trying to adjust their eyes to light. "W-where am I? What happened?" Suddenly, he sat up with force. "The man- he had a gun, he--"

"Sshh, Syusuke," Yumiko said gently, walking over to him.

"Yumiko? Where are you? All I see is..darkness," Syusuke told her weakly. When Yumiko got a closer look at him she nearly started to cry. His eyes- his beautiful crystal blue eyes- weren't there anymore. They had been replaced by blank pools of gray.

"Syusuke, I have bad news. You're blind," she replied quietly.

For the longest moment, Fuji didn't say anything. He simply stared in front of him, his eyes wide, as if trying desperately to see what he couldn't.

"Blind?" He asked, his voice softer than a whisper. Yumiko had started to nod when she realized that Syusuke couldn't see her. That realization made her want to cry more, but she held back the tears.

"Yes."

Syusuke's granite eyes closed, and a crystal tear slid down his cheek. Yumiko began to stroke his arm comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, Syusuke..I love you." She felt an invisible hand squeeze her heart.

His sister was startled to see a smile form on his pale face. "I love you too, Yumiko. Don't worry about me- I'm fine. Is..Yuuta okay?" He asked hesistantly.

Yumiko smiled to herself. 'Even when Syusuke's in the worse of conditions, he still thinks of his brother.'

"Yes, he's fine. Do you want me to call him and inform him that you've woke up?"

Syusuke nodded. Yumiko kissed him on the cheek and said she would be right back. When he heard the door close, he began to shake uncontrollably. The tears began to fall against Fuji's will. The word "blind" kept echoing in his head. He decided to close his eyes, figuring there was no need to have them open anyway.

'I guess this is what I get for being nosey,' he thought bitterly. Oh, how he wished he hadn't went in his neighbor's house to investigate. Maybe then he wouldn't be sitting in this hospital bed, his eyesight lost. No, he would be outside playing tennis with his friends. He'd be having a good time, no worry or care in the world.

'Tennis..something I will never be able to play again...,' he mentally told himself. More hot tears streamed down his cheeks.

'Stop crying, Syusuke,' he scolded himself. 'It could be worse..you could've died..you were actually quite lucky..' He shakily wiped the tears from his face and took a deep breath. Slowly, the smile he always wore formed on his face again. He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. Syusuke heard the door open and his eyes snapped open, staring in the direction the sound had came from. It was only when he saw that black wall did he remember he was blind.

'From now on, I will have to rely on my sense of touch and hearing,' he told himself.

"It's me, Syusuke. Yumiko."

Fuji relaxed when he realized it was only his sister. "Did you get a hold of Yuuta?" Fuji questioned her.

"Yeah, he said he would be here as soon as possible," she informed him. "Also, I called your team- um, your friends. They said they were coming too," she added.

Syusuke smiled softly. "Arigatou, 'nee-san."

"Are you okay, Syusuke?" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "You look like you've been crying. Did you?"

Fuji's mouth opened in slight surprise, but his smile quickly snapped back in place. "Don't worry so much. I'm fine, I promise," he assured her.

"No you're not," she whispered. "You're blind. That's not fine."

Fuji didn't know quite what to say. "Blind but alive," he said finally.

She sighed. "That's true. But..you do know that..no tennis?" She asked softly.

Fuji swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. "Yes, I know 'nee-san. But..at least I'm alive," he said cheerfully.

Once more, Fuji heard the door open. He didn't bother to turn his head this time, for he knew he couldn't see anything anyway.

"Aniki? I'm here now," he heard Yuuta say.

"Yuuta." Fuji smiled brightly. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to wake up."

"It's okay, aniki," Yuuta stated. Fuji could hear him walking towards his bed. After much hesistation, Yuuta asked, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, and very pleased that you're here."

Everyone was quiet as an awkward silence set in. Yuuta nor Yumiko knew what to say. They both knew that Syusuke couldn't be as cheerful inside as he let on. All 3 were silent until they heard a loud "nya" outside Fuji's door. Yuuta got up quickly and opened the door only to reveal all the Seigaku regulars standing there. Syusuke could hear all the chatter and knew very well who everyone was. His smile grew wider and brighter.

"Nanjaro hoi, hoi!" He heard Eiji's voice exclaim.

"Eiji," Syusuke said, grinning.

"Nya, Fuji! I missed you!" Fuji felt arms go around him and he knew right away that Eiji was hugging him. He embraced his friend back warmly.

"Fuji, oh, I'm so glad you're alright and awake, we were all so worried about you," a voice told him that Fuji instantly recognized as belonging to Oishi.

"I'm glad you all care enough about me to come see me," Fuji stated.

"Of course we care, nya!"

Syusuke felt the weight that had been on his heart lift. Having his friends and family here made the burden seem more bearable. Then, an unfamiliar voice that Fuji had never heard before spoke and everyone went quiet.

"I believe it will be okay if he goes home now," the voice told everyone. Everyone took a moment to let this sink in, then the chatter started back up again.

Syusuke wanted much to be apart of the excitement, but he still felt a slight pain in his heart. Oishi and Eiji were talking, he could hear. Fuji heard other voices talking to one another, and he could all identify them quickly. The only voice he didn't hear, however, belonged to a certain buchou.

'Where is Tezuka?' Syusuke thought, puzzled. Certainly he had come with everyone else..hadn't he? Just before Fuji was about to get worried, he heard Tezuka's emotionless voice say his name.

"Fuji."

"Tezuka?" Syusuke asked, squinting his eyes even though he couldn't see.

"It's me." Fuji felt someone touch his hand, and guessed it was Tezuka.

"How are you doing, Fuji?" Tezuka questioned him with hints of worry in his voice.

Fuji smiled. "So far, most everyone has asked me that. I'm fine, arigatou."

Tezuka's voice was hoarse and dry. "Fuji..what happened?"

Syusuke was silent for a moment. Tezuka could clearly see that he didn't want to talk about it, and was about to change the subject when Fuji answered, "He shot me."

A spark of anger shot through Tezuka. How could anyone possibly be so cruel as to shoot each other? It was something Tezuka may never understand.

"Who? Who shot you? Do you know?"

Fuji swallowed hard and shook his head. There was silence among the two when Tezuka asked, "Fuji. Open your eyes. I want to see..."

As commanded, Fuji opened his eyes to reveal hollow, gray orbs. Just looking at his eyes made Tezuka wince. Those beautiful cerulean eyes that he had loved so much..they were gone..all because some bastard.. Right then and there Tezuka promised himself something: That he would help Fuji catch that bastard and make sure he was locked away for the rest of his life.

"What do they look like, Tezuka? Can you describe them for me?" Fuji asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Unknown to them, everyone else in the room and stopped to look at Fuji's blank stare.

"They're gray and..empty," Tezuka told him, his voice equally soft.

Syusuke smiled sadly. "Gray..a color I will never see anymore.."

Just then, Tezuka did something very unlike himself. He embraced Fuji tightly, making the boy open his mouth in shock. Syusuke quickly relaxed against him, shyly hugging him back. Fuji was warm in Tezuka's embrace, and it made him feel as if nothing in the world could harm him anymore. However, Tezuka let go far too soon for Fuji's liking. Still, it made the boy happy to know that Tezuka would do that for him just to comfort him, especially while they were out in public.

"Come on, Syusuke," his 'nee-san said warmly. "We're going home."

* * *

A/N: I hope everyone liked this chapter. Did I keep everyone in character? I tried, but I'm not sure if I did. Review, please! Constructive criticism welcome, but ONLY constructive. Please, no flames. 


	4. Home

For the past few hours, Fuji had been laying in his bed, trying to sleep, all the while hearing his parents and siblings talk. They assumed he was asleep, but no, he had been listening to them for hours now, talk about him. It annoyed him to no end. All they would talk about is how pitiful he was, how sorry they were, and how miserable they knew he should be. Why couldn't they just forget like Syusuke so wanted them to? Fuji didn't like them showing pity for him. He was _not_ weak. Even though now he would be cast in a world of darkness for the rest of his life, Fuji was still.. Well, Fuji. He sat up, opening his eyes even though he knew he couldn't see. It was as if a black wall had been build in front of his eyes, preventing him from seeing the rest of the world.

Syusuke frowned when he heard their conversation turn to tennis.

"Syusuke..he'll never be able to play tennis again," he heard his mother say sadly. "That was his dream, too..."

Suddenly, Fuji could feel anger burn inside him. How dare they think that he, the tennis tensai, would never be able to play tennis again?

'Well, you won't,' a voice in the back of his head commented dryly. 'You're blind, you can't possibly play tennis. You can't see.'

The honey-haired boy sighed. Perhaps..his parents were right that he would never play tennis again? 'No,' a stronger voice said. 'No, you may be blind, but you still have your other senses. You can _still_ play.'

Syusuke was then filled with fierce determination. He loved tennis. Tennis was his dream, his everything. No stupid disability was going to prevent him from playing. _Nothing_ would prevent him from playing. With his mind made up, Syusuke decided that tomorrow he would begin to practice a new way of tennis. Tennis where he only used his ears, his hands, and his brain to play. Tomorrow, he would prove his family wrong.

* * *

Syusuke wasn't sure when exactly he had fell asleep last night, but he must have got a decent amount of sleep for he felt surprisingly refreshed when he woke up that morning. When his eyes fluttered open, he knew that he really was awake even though all he saw was that black wall. Stretching, he was about to get up and feel his way around his room when his arm touched something on the bed beside him. Freezing, Syusuke ran his hand over what felt like smooth skin. 

Deciding that whatever was on the bed next to him was a person, he asked unsurely, "Who is it?"

"Why Syusuke, I'm surprised at you. How could you not know your old friend?"

Fuji grinned widely, recognizing that voice immediatly. "Saeki," he stated happily. "I've no idea how I could've forgot." The golden-haired boy could picture in his head Saeki smiling back at him.

"Ahh, Fuji. Long time no see?"

"Very," Fuji answered, nodding his head. He could feel Saeki sit up on the bed, and imagined that he was facing him. "So, Saeki. What brings you here?"

"You, of course," Saeki stated simply. "Did you honestly think that I wouldn't come see how you were doing when I heard you got shot?"

"I haven't had much time to think, Saeki," Fuji replied softly. "Everything has been such a blur. Arigatou, for worrying about me. Tell me, Saeki, does news really travel that fast?"

Saeki chuckled and leaned back. "Yes, it does, especially when it concerns Seigaku's tensai," he remarked matter-of-factly.

"I see. So has the news got around that I'm blind yet?"

"More than likely."

Fuji leaned back, closing his granite eyes. Unknown to him, Saeki was staring at his face with a soft expression.

"It amazes me, Fuji Syusuke, how you can sit and talk about your blindess so casually, without anything but a smile on your face," Kojirou whispered.

Syusuke's smile turned gentle. "I have nothing to be ashamed about..nor do I have anything to be sad about. I am alive, and one of the luckiest people in the world. Most people who are shot in the head don't survive, you know," Fuji stated.

Saeki nodded then sighed. "True, true. It still hurts me to see you like this. How will you go on?"

"Like any normal person," Syusuke told him. "I may be blind, but nothing can ever truly keep me from seeing."

Those words confused Kojirou slightly, but he knew they had a secret meaning to them. Smiling, he replied, "But Fuji, you're not a normal person. You're more than just that. You're a tensai. Speaking of that, are you still going to play...?" Saeki was unsure of what he asked, not knowing if that question would hurt Fuji or not.

Knowing exactly what Saeki was talking about, Syusuke nodded. "Of course I'm still going to play. Why, Saeki, I'm surprised at you. How could you ever think any physical disability would keep me from tennis?"

This made Kojirou's smile grow wider. "Forgive me for doubting you. I don't know what ever came over me. Going to make the impossible possible again, Syusuke?"

Syusuke's grin was equally as wide as his friend's. "Well, yes of course, Saeki. You know me far too well."

They laughed, and Fuji was thoroughly glad to have someone laugh with him instead of talking to him with a pity-filled voice.

"Well, Fuji. Who are you going to have help you? Because even though you are the tennis tensai, you're still going to need just a little practice using only your other senses."

Syusuke frowned, thinking deeply about this. Saeki was right. He would need some practice..and need someone there to help him. But who?

"What about you, Saeki? I know you are a wonderful tennis player."

Saeki laughed, then shook his head. "Syusuke, you know very well I'm not as good at tennis as you. You will need someone at least equal to your skills.. Which, someone equal to you will be hard to find," Saeki chuckled softly.

Syusuke's smile was back, lighting up his soft features. "Well..one of my team-..friends, could help me."

Kojirou frowned. "They aren't your teammates anymore?"

Fuji sighed softly, and shook his head. "They assumed I wouldn't be able to play anymore, so Inui is now a regular. Plus, they needed someone to fill in my spot while I was in a coma."

"Ah," Saeki commented, nodding.

They were both silent for a moment, until Fuji spoke. "However, I will regain my spot as a regular, as soon as I discover the uses of my other senses.."

'I don't see how anyone could have ever thought Syusuke would give up tennis that easily,' Saeki said mentally.

"Hmm..Echizen could always help me..when we played against other, our skills seemed to be pretty much equal."

"From what I've heard, Echizen has about as much patience as a mule," Saeki remarked, amused.

Syusuke laughed and questioned, "You mean mules have patience?"

Both of them laughed once more, and Fuji felt an enormous burden fall off of him.

"Well..perhaps..buchou then?"

Kojirou pondered this. "Ah, yes, your buchou. Hm, well, do you think he'd be willing to help?"

Syusuke nodded. "I think so."

Once more, they both fell silent. Out of the blue, a question struck Fuji.

"Saeki, how long exactly have you been here?"

Kojirou chuckled, then answered, "Not sure, exactly. I came to visit you while you were still asleep, and I nearly fell asleep waiting for you to wake up."

"Ah, gomen," Fuji said apologetically.

"It's alright. You know I don't mind, I was tired anyway," he laughed.

After another moment of silence, Saeki asked quietly, "Fuji, you know the police are going to question you, right?"

"Yes," Fuji stated, nodding.

"Are you ready for it?"

Fuji hesistated before saying, "I'm not sure.. I do remember a few things about the murderer but..I'm not sure of what use I am." In his mind's eyes, Fuji could still vaguely picture the man who shot him and took the life of his neighbor. Deciding that he didn't want to converse this subject anymore, he asked, "What time is it?"

Startled slightly, the silver-haired boy looked at the clock. "10 a.m."

"I woke up later than usual," murmured Syusuke. "Saeki..," Fuji hesistated, "what does it look like? Outside, I mean?"

Feeling a sense of sadness overwhelm him, Saeki described it to him. "It's very light outside, the sun is shining brightly, and there's no clouds to be seen."

Smiling, Syusuke sighed in content. "Yes, I remember now. Arigatou, Saeki." Fuji's head snapped up when he heard his door open.

"Syusuke? Oh, good, Syusuke, you're awake! We were worried about you!" He heard Yumiko say. "How long have you been up?"

"About an hour now," Saeki answered for him, smiling at Yumiko.

Yumiko beamed, then proceeded to walk over towards her brother. "Are you hungry? I can bring you some food, if you want," she offered kindly.

"I'm not hungry," Fuji responded softly. "Thanks anyway, 'nee-san."

"Well, alright then, I'll check back up on you in a little bit." He heard her close the door, then stiffened.

For some reason, when she said "I'll check back up on you in a little bit", a spark of anger flew through him. He didn't want Yumiko or anyone else to have a change of feelings towards him just because he was now blind. They hadn't been worried about him when he was home alone the night he was shot, had they? Well, now all of the sudden they were scared to leave him in the room alone. He didn't like that at all. Syusuke wasn't weak, and he hated the thought of anyone thinking he was. He didn't want pity, or sympathy; He wanted everyone to treat him the same way as they did before.

"Well, Fuji," Saeki stated, startling Syusuke out of his thoughts, "I guess I'll be going now. I'll get you some information on how to enhance your other senses." As Saeki was opening the door to leave, he called to his friend, "Oh yeah, and I'll be expecting to play a match against you after you're used to using only your other senses."

Fuji felt his smile grow wider and responded, "Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I can't beat you in tennis."

Saeki laughed, still holding the door open. "I've gotten better since our last match, you know. We'll see who wins."

"Yes, we will," Syusuke commented cheerfully. "Arigatou for coming, Saeki."

"Can't wait till our match, better be prepared, Fuji!"

After he heard Kojirou leave, Syusuke laid back down on his bed. He felt a lot better than he had last night, thanks to Saeki. Surprisingly, Syusuke found that his thoughts were centered on his tennis practice tomorrow.

'I wonder if Tezuka will be surprised that I've decided to continue playing,' Fuji wondered. 'Ah well, I believe he will help me. He did comfort me, after all, when I was in the hospital, which is very odd of him, who would have known buchou would show so much emotion?' The boy mused. 'I will have to tease him about that later..'

Yes, no disability would ever stop Fuji Syusuke from playing tennis. No disability would ever stop him from being sadistic, either.

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A/N: Yay, another chapter is done! Sorry it took so long! Oh, by the way, this chapter is dedicated to yamatoforever for figuring out a lot of things! xD Oh, and thanks for reminding me to put Saeki in there! o

Fightingdreamer5 - Well, most people do die when they're shot in the head, but not all people. You're right, no animal did shoot him, but when you are afraid you often try to think up excuses to calm yourself. Also, human curiousity makes you do ignorant things, that's why I believe he would've looked to see if someone was there. I guess it's basically just instinct, if you understand what I mean. Thanks for the review! Hope you like this chapter.

Anyways, I hope everyone likes this chapter, and that it turned out the way everyone wanted it to! Please review and tell me what you think! Please, no flames.


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